Our faith can be reflected in food choices

Updated 11:35 pm, Friday, August 16, 2013

"Christian Science teaches: Owe no man; be temperate; abstain from alcohol and tobacco; be honest, just, and pure; cast out evil and heal the sick; in short, Do unto others as ye would have others do to you."

This is a work in progress for each individual Christian Scientist and not always easy. And although moral imperatives often govern a Christian Scientist's choices, there is no cookie-cutter approach.

Since we seek to understand the Bible spiritually, instead of merely literally, we are constantly in a discerning mode about how to address any topic. Prayer is our best way to sort through any question of how to proceed.

Examining one's motives is the first important step when we consider an issue, since God supports right motives, and wrong motives involve defeat.

For example, my prayers have led me to a perspective on a subject that my fellow church members may or may not share. That hot topic, which I'd like to reflect on in this column, is food.

Earnest seekers might point to Jesus, who said, "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat and what ye shall drink." And the gospel of Mark claims, "If they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."

I believe it is true that food does not affect people spiritually and that God is able to feed us. But the question remains, what are we to eat?

The first chapter of Genesis says, "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."

Back in Jesus' day, and even Mary Baker Eddy's, the food issue was simple compared to the minefield it is today.

We are now surrounded by man-made food. I'm not just talking about overly processed food, or food that is laced with drugs and chemicals, but food that is unconscionably unsustainable and downright destructive.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not designed to be more nutritious, but rather to produce food with poisonous pesticides and increase sales to benefit their corporate owners (Monsanto).

The company claims to be increasing food yield, but I believe it is pursuing is a monopoly to control the food supply, and its tactics of domination have been quite successful.

Corn already is 95 percent corporate owned, and 90 percent of it is genetically modified. A hundred years ago, corn was 100 percent farmer owned.

These man-made crops are connected to all sorts of health concerns. Their vast monocultures are demolishing precious biodiversity, contaminating soil and polluting water runoff.

Their pesticides are quickly exterminating honeybees, which are pollinators essential to our survival.

This is why GMOs are banned or labeled in more than 60 countries. Here in America, however -- I believe due mostly to corruption and ignorance -- 80 percent of the "food" on our grocery store shelves contains GMOs.

It seems to me that if we are to "be honest, just and pure," as well as to follow the Golden Rule, we must abstain from supporting the GMO industry.

The way to do that is to buy or grow organic food -- food that is a throwback to the way God made it before mankind was arrogant enough to tamper with it.

This is one way to "cast out evil and heal the sick."

Organic food is not only sustainable, it "replenishes the earth," as God directed us to do in the first chapter of Genesis.

And many people don't realize that organic food has also been proven to be more productive than GMOs.

Many complain that this more-pure food choice is expensive, but that cost is cheap compared to the eventual toll of people eating drugs, man-made chemicals and poisons.

Monsanto is playing the part of an intimidating Goliath, and, like David, I think we must triumph over this bully in the name of God.

This takes gumption and commitment, but with the powerful motive of love for one another and for God's creation I believe we can succeed.

Every time I buy organic food I cast my vote for purity, virtue, justice, health, safety and stewardship.

I have learned through Christian Science that I need to pray through all my choices.

As I have done so on the topic of food for this column, I have become more alert to issues that are of urgent and crucial importance to society as a whole.

As such, I have become impelled to do what I can to "hold fast to that which is good; abstain from all appearance of evil," (1 Thessalonians 5:21 and 22), and to support positive futures for the good and welfare of us all.